Source of the Problem... As many of our site visitors already know, Peri is not just a good cook... she's a world-class international-menu chef. When we got married, she was 'only' a great Turkish-food cook. But then, when we lived in the States between 1976-1992 -- she first learned everything my mother (another great chef) had to teach her about my favorite American foods, and then she branched out...proceeding to learn all my Chinese Chow, Mexican Meal, Italian Cuisine, and Indian Food favorites.
And, thanks to friends and family who have always sent us 'hard to get' ingredients and spices, nothing changed for me great-food-wise when we returned to Turkey in 1992. I've kept being able to enjoy whatever food I wanted -- and plenty of it. As a consequence, I tend to gain a 'few' unwanted pounds in winter every year -- which I need to shed before my first beach appearances in late April. But, this year I went overboard...This year I ballooned to 99 kilos (218 lbs.) during the winter months. And at my height of 1.83 meters (6'1"), I was wayyyy overweight -- as you can see in the photo.
[Click following to access the fully illustrated HTML version of this article's conclusion...Losing weight -- The Cure.]
Jim and (co-author) Perihan Masters are a husband and wife team, living on the Aegean Coast of Turkey just 50 miles south of Izmir. Jim was born in Shanghai, China -- of American military parentage. Peri was born on the Black Sea coast of Turkey near Trabzon, of Turkish military parentage...Enticed by a Financial Times advertisement, Jim joined a NATO sponsored enterprise in Ankara in 1974 where he met the beautiful and brainy Perihan, a rising young Turkish banking executive. Settled now in the heart of what was once the ancient Ionian Empire -- the couple live an idyllic life by the sea.. writing, drawing and painting, teaching English, and providing computing service support to local businesses. They also sponsor the MSNBC award-winning Learning Practical Turkish Website which has built an enthusiastic international following of devoted Turkophiles and inquisitive language students of all ages. | |
